A 20-year-old hiker survived a 100-foot fall in Utah after becoming wedged between a rock and a cliff face in the darkness before dawn.
The woman, who has not been publicly identified, was hiking with friends on the Red Hollow Trailhead in Iron County last Thursday morning. The group had set out before sunrise to watch the dawn break at the popular destination.
She fell from the mountainside and landed in a narrow gap between the rock and the cliff face above the trailhead, according to the Iron County Sheriff’s Office and Search and Rescue. The incident occurred in darkness, complicating both her situation and the subsequent rescue effort.
The sheriff’s office said the hiker “sustained a head injury and was conscious but experiencing confusion regarding the incident.”
Search and rescue officials reported that she additionally suffered apparent fractures to her leg and arm, injuries to her ribs or back, and multiple cuts. She was “experiencing substantial pain” when crews reached her.
First responders worked to free the woman from the confined space between the rocks. Once extricated, she was stabilized and secured in a rescue basket. Crews then carefully lowered her to the canyon floor below.
From there, she was transported to a roadway where an emergency helicopter had landed. The helicopter rushed her to an area hospital, where she is recovering. Her current condition has not been made public.
The Red Hollow area draws visitors seeking sunrise views, but the sheriff’s office issued a pointed warning following the incident. Officials urged visitors to use “extreme caution” and to “avoid hiking near steep drop-offs in darkness or low visibility.”
The rescue operation involved multiple agencies and specialized techniques given the terrain and the woman’s precarious position. The combination of her landing between rocks and the remote location made the extraction particularly challenging for crews working in early morning conditions.